Labour said it wanted to increase scrutiny of people seeking British
citizenship after a watchdog found lax checks had allowed violent killers to
be accepted.

Foreigners who are applying for a British passport should be required to produce the equivalent of a Criminal Records Bureau check from their own country, Labour has said.

The party said it wanted to increase scrutiny of people seeking British citizenship after a watchdog found lax checks had allowed violent killers to be accepted.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that applicants which failed to do so would have their histories probed by Border staff.

A report from John Vine, independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, said "no attempts" were made to check overseas criminal records and there were "virtually no other checks" to establish the good character of applicants apart from automated police and immigration tests.

Miss Cooper said the extra checks would be made easier by the 1,000 additional staff the party has pledged to fund via a levy on visitors from the US and other countries benefiting from visa-free entry to the UK.